lschwarcz Senior Member Joined: 1 Sep 2006 Posts: 68 Location: Campbell, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Krups Espresso Novo (964) Grinder: Rancilio Rocky Drip: Chemex, Press Pot &... Roaster: Poppery II
Posted Tue May 20, 2008, 5:19am Subject: Monkey Blend, Donkey Blend or something else? New to espresso.... sort of....
I could use the groups’ opinion on which Sweet Maria’s espresso blends I should try.
First, here’s my espresso gear: - Rocky doserless grinder - Westbend Poppery II with a thermometer to roast - Krups Espresso Novo (model 964). Hey, don't laugh so much ;-). I bought it back about '91 when people thought it was a pretty good machine! I bought some new gaskets and am about to try to revive it.
I'm pretty new to espresso (aside from playing with the Krups back in '91 with a blade grinder and the plastic tamper) and mostly drink drip Yirgacheffe from my Chemex and I'd like to play around and see if I can pull a half-way decent shot with the Krups.
I've never roasted for espresso (I only once even started to accidentally hit second crack when roasting Yirgacheffe) and my espresso machine isn't exactly the best on the market. I figure my Rocky should be fine as a grinder and I also bought a real tamper.
From what I've read I was thinking I'd try either their Monkey Blend (ya gotta love that name!) or the liquid amber. I’m thinking I should start with a blend that’s the most forgiving in roasting and pulling shots. I’ll probably be pulling straight espresso shots, no milk drinks at this point. But, I’m also thinking maybe I should start out with their Donkey blend since its decaf. While playing around I may end up pulling a fair number of shots and won’t want to end up wired all day!
Posted Tue May 20, 2008, 9:03am Subject: Re: Monkey Blend, Donkey Blend or something else? New to espresso.... sort of...
I really like SM's Monkey Blend and their Classic Italian Blend. From what I've read around the interwebs, the Monkey is quite forgiving. I don't have a great espresso machine with control over temperature or pressure, but I've been able to produce straight drinkable shots of both blends. Monkey is my favorite of the two, with the Classic Italian not far behind.
As for Liquid Amber, I've never really cared for it. I don't know if I've always roasted it wrong, or didn't let it rest enough, or if I'm pulling the shots all wrong, but it always tastes flat and nothing like they describe. YMMV
I haven't tried the Donkey, so I can't comment.
A forgiving roasted blend you might want to try is Intelligentsia's Black Cat. I bought a couple pounds to experiment with when I first got my machine. That way I knew I was dealing with consistently roasted beans from a reputable source, and my roasting wasn't another variable to throw in the mix.
lschwarcz Senior Member Joined: 1 Sep 2006 Posts: 68 Location: Campbell, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Krups Espresso Novo (964) Grinder: Rancilio Rocky Drip: Chemex, Press Pot &... Roaster: Poppery II
Posted Wed May 21, 2008, 6:16am Subject: Re: Monkey Blend, Donkey Blend or something else? New to espresso.... sort of...
Jeebs Said:
I really like SM's Monkey Blend and their Classic Italian Blend. From what I've read around the interwebs, the Monkey is quite forgiving. I don't have a great espresso machine with control over temperature or pressure, but I've been able to produce straight drinkable shots of both blends. Monkey is my favorite of the two, with the Classic Italian not far behind.
As for Liquid Amber, I've never really cared for it. I don't know if I've always roasted it wrong, or didn't let it rest enough, or if I'm pulling the shots all wrong, but it always tastes flat and nothing like they describe. YMMV
I haven't tried the Donkey, so I can't comment.
A forgiving roasted blend you might want to try is Intelligentsia's Black Cat. I bought a couple pounds to experiment with when I first got my machine. That way I knew I was dealing with consistently roasted beans from a reputable source, and my roasting wasn't another variable to throw in the mix.
Thanks for the input! I ordered a couple of pounds of the Monkey blend. Since I live about an hour from SM's I should have it by the end of the week (UPS ground from Oakland to Campbell is functionally overnight)! I guess that winds up the pressure for me to get the grouphead gasket replaced so I can roast up a batch and try it ;-)!
Posted Wed May 21, 2008, 10:39am Subject: Re: Monkey Blend, Donkey Blend or something else? New to espresso.... sort of...
I am drinking Monkey (lol) as I write this, and it's awesome. Just roasted another batch about an hour ago, and it's just a great blend straight and in milk drinks where it has a nice hot chocolate taste to me. Last time I ordered, I bought just about all of the SM blends and Liquid Amber wasn't as good as I remembered it. It has a lot of Monsooned Malabar in it which I like, but I didn't care as much for the flavor this time around. Could be the way I roasted it, but I like the Puro Scuro, Moka Kadir, Monkey, and Classic Italian blends the best with Monkey at the better end of them. I like to roast it approximately 30 seconds after hearing the first snaps of second crack but before second crack becomes rapid.
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